Boost in number of exhibitors at upcoming CIIE

More special areas for key and emerging sectors will be set up at the fourth China International Import Expo.

Authorities on Thursday introduced the current progress of preparation work for the event.

The forthcoming CIIE, with a total exhibition area of over 360,000 square meters with 14 exhibition halls, will see a larger number of exhibitors than last year.

Among the enterprises, 12 will have booths of over 1,000 square meters. Hyundai Motor Company from South Korea, for example, will set up a booth covering 1,600 square meters in the automobile section, while Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp, a Japanese business known for its industrial robots, machining tools and systems and machine components, will have an exhibition area of 1,300 square meters.

Zhou Lingyan, deputy general manager of exhibitions at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), noted the high quality of this year's business exhibition, with 95.9 percent of the enterprise booths being specially designed and decorated.

Fortune Global 500 enterprises and industry leaders are taking an active part in the expo, with more than 80 percent of those who attended the 3rd CIIE in 2020 also turning out for a revisit.

Aside from the large corporations, the expo this year has lured more small and medium-sized enterprises to attend as exhibitors, the number of which has surged 30 percent from a year earlier.

Especially, institutions from Japan, Denmark, Poland and New Zealand are expanding their exhibition areas, and are organizing more SMEs with local features and advanced technology to participate, Zhou noted.

The special area of the Central and Eastern Europe in the food section, with an overall area of 1,500 square meters, for instance, will be a stage for more than 60 enterprises.

Zhou underscored their efforts to set up 13 special areas for some key and emerging sectors – innovation incubation, digital industry, low-carbon energy and environmental technology, integrated circuits, public health and epidemic prevention, rehabilitation and care for the aged, biomedicine, intelligent traveling, agricultural products, dairy products, beauty and daily cosmetics, green and smart home appliances, as well as sporting goods and events.

Among them, the special area for low-carbon energy and environment protection technology will have a total area exceeding 150,000 square meters, that of dairy products approximating 10,000 square meters, while the sporting goods and events are covering 9,800 square meters, 2,000 square meters larger than last year.

The area for innovation incubation, meanwhile, has gathered nearly 100 companies bringing various exhibits involving artificial intelligence, health technology and autonomous driving.

"The establishment of this special area is aimed to offer test fields and incubators for innovative small and micro companies of great potential," said Wu Jun, who is in charge of the area.

"It will support the linkup of domestic demand and high-quality resources from overseas, and motivate innovative development and transformation and upgrading of domestic industries."

Zhou also mentioned the themed forums to be held during the expo, saying the activities will "offer a platform for incubators to share experience and boost investment, helping them push forward market access and establishment of industrial parks."

Another highlight is the enterprise alliance consisting of leading exhibitors in various industries.

"The enterprise alliance, first founded in 2017, has served as a bridge linking all related parties, allowing companies to share their ideas and raise suggestions to further improve the functions of the expo."

The alliance now has over 200 member companies, of which all are Fortune Global 500 enterprises and industry leaders. It has set up 13 special committees for major industries, and more committees will be launched for sectors such as pharmaceuticals.

"The alliance will next play a bigger role in promoting the sustainable development of the expo," Zhou said.